Royal welcome: What you need about Donald Trump's state visit to UK – Meeting with Charles, Camilla and Starmer on cards

Britain is bracing for an extraordinary display of pageantry and politics as US President Donald Trump arrives for an unprecedented second state visit this week. The trip, which begins Tuesday evening, will see Trump feted at Windsor Castle by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, before a glittering banquet that royal historians say represents Britain’s strongest card of “soft power” diplomacy. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will follow the royal welcome with talks at Chequers, aimed at securing favourable trade terms and deeper cooperation on technology and Ukraine.

Authorities have called the security operation the most extensive since Charles’s coronation in 2023. With Trump’s safety now an acute concern after the recent fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk in Utah and the attempted assassination of the president last year, the streets, skies and riverbanks around Windsor are being transformed into a fortified zone. Drones, snipers and mounted police will be deployed, while Thames patrol boats and reinforcements from across England and Wales are being drafted in.

Royal pomp with political purpose

Behind the tiaras, carriages and candelabra lies a clear political mission. Britain is once again turning to the monarchy’s ceremonial splendour to charm an unpredictable American president whose decisions carry enormous weight for trade, tariffs and global security.

Royal historian Robert Lacey described the visit as “buttering up to him,” pointing to Trump’s fascination with monarchy and his Scottish roots. It was no accident, analysts note, that Starmer delivered Charles’s personal invitation directly to the Oval Office in February, making Trump the first US president ever to be honoured with two full state visits.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will lead Wednesday’s programme, including a carriage procession, a Beating Retreat ceremony and a state banquet in St George’s Hall. The Prince and Princess of Wales are also expected to play prominent roles, with Catherine re-emerging into the public eye after her cancer treatment. “The tiaras will be out in force,” royal author Hugo Vickers remarked, predicting “a splendid” display of jewels and ceremony designed to flatter Trump’s well-known love of grandeur.

Starmer’s diplomatic gamble

For Starmer, Thursday’s meeting at Chequers will be the moment when the symbolism turns to substance. His government hopes to secure relief from US tariffs on British steel and aluminium, finalise a civil nuclear agreement and announce a major technology partnership involving Silicon Valley companies, including Nvidia and OpenAI. US officials say deals worth at least \$10 billion are in the pipeline.

At the same time, the UK will press Trump on Ukraine, encouraging him to back harsher economic measures against Russia’s supporters. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said this was “a key chance to shape the president’s thinking,” as Washington weighs tariffs on China over its role in the war.

But controversy shadows the visit. Lord Mandelson’s dismissal as ambassador to Washington over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein has already sparked awkward questions for Starmer. Protesters are preparing mass demonstrations, echoing the Trump Baby balloon of 2019. And policy differences — from NATO to the Middle East — remain stark.

Even so, ministers say the goal is simple: to ensure Air Force One departs on Thursday with Trump “warmly disposed” to Britain. As one Whitehall source told the BBC: “This is theatre.”